Tofu kofta in a roasted eggplant sauce

I am taking a quick break from posting Fridays’ random act of kindness to post this vegan, gluten-free delight!

I was too excited to wait to post this tofu kofta dish I made the other day! I’ll get back to posting random acts of kindness next week. This recipe took longer than I normally would spend on cooking, but it was worth it!

Here’s the recipe.

Tofu kofta in a roasted eggplant sauce

Makes: 6 servings

Total time: 1.15 hour, cook time: 55 hours, prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 kg (2.2 pounds) of ground tofu

1 tablespoon garam masala

3 green chilis finely chopped

Handful of coriander finely chopped

1/4 cup of brown rice crumbs

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the kofta marinade

2 medium onions chopped

1 tomato finely chopped

1/2 inch of fresh ginger grated

3 garlic cloves minced

2-3 green chilis minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1+1/2 tablespoon garam masala

Basil leaves to garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

For the eggplant sauce

1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise

4 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons olive oil, separated

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds, toasted

1/4 cup chopped fresh, cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Coarse salt

Freshly ground pepper

Optional: 2-3 habanero peppers chopped

Directions for the eggplant sauce

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Brush the eggplant and garlic with 1 tablespoon of oil and place the side without skin down on a baking pan.

Cook until the eggplant softens about 45-55 minutes.

Let the eggplant cool.

Once it has cooled, blend the eggplant, garlic, cumin, cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and peppers if using them, in a blender until smooth.

Set the sauce aside.

Directions for the tofu

Combine the binding ingredients in a bowl and mix. Add in the tofu and shape it as desired.

Marinate it for an hour or a minimum of 15 minutes.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add in the onion and garlic. Cook, frequently stirring for 3 minutes. Add sauce ingredients and cook for 5 minutes, continuing to stir.

Add in the tofu and cook for 5-10 minutes.

Pour the eggplant sauce over the hot tofu and serve immediately.

Nutritional value for 1 serving (based on brands and quantities used in the recipe)